The Metropolitan Police seem to be acting as the Provisional Wing of the media industry these days. Fresh form the triumph of a failed attempt to brush the phone-hacking scandal under the carpet, they have tracked down, raided and cautioned someone who wrote something disobliging about Simon Cowell.

I thought that the libel courts were the way in which the wealthy stifled criticism of themselves. I am at a loss to see why the Met feels obliged to launch raids on people speaking ill of people off the telly.

Considering how the vile Tory cuts are impinging on the Police Service ( an oxymoron, Police force was more accurate) it is astounding how much time and effort they can put into making themselves look like tossers of the first water. This was a new one on me, I was going to mention the busies who rolled up at 04:00hrs to do a 13 year old regarding an apple throwing incident. But thought it is so commonplace now that the cops pull strokes like this, that I don't think anyone's givafukometer will register.

The police are slowly shifting from bastion of law and order, to necessary evil, soon they will be better than nothing. When that happens, and the maligned middle classes withdraw their tacit support, the shit will hit the fan big time.

A day after the police were told that being abused by the public was no longer worth taking to court, some dopey bint is threatened with months in gaol after shouting 'Bang bang' at the PC blinded by Raoul Moat.

This is not a slag off the cops post per se, more like watching a slow motion car crash, shouting; 'What were you thinking of?'

unfortunately new labour go the better of them and they were suckered in like the rest of us regards war on terror etc... and milked the treasury for al it can get - so now they arent interested in real crime just publicity events - and fancy guns

strange how with virtually no gun ownership the police has the need to spend 200k just to shoot a guy carrying a table leg.

What I find deeply worrying is that if celebrities can so casually whistle up a few officers to avenge a passing slight, how much easier it will be for whistleblowers, muckrakers and general political malcontents to be dealt with to the satisfaction of the authorities. The police couldn't have had time to investigate whether or not such an allegation was true (nor would it be their business to do so unless stage-school is now a criminal enterprise), so must have simply taken Cowell's word for it and set off to deal with the miscreant.

"Is this a proper use of public resources?
The Metropolitan Police seem to be acting as the Provisional Wing of the media industry these days. Fresh form the triumph of a failed attempt to brush the phone-hacking scandal under the carpet, they have tracked down, raided and cautioned someone who wrote something disobliging about Simon Cowell."

On the face of it no, and if they ever look on here they'll to set up a whole new department!!

"Is this a proper use of public resources?
The Metropolitan Police seem to be acting as the Provisional Wing of the media industry these days. Fresh form the triumph of a failed attempt to brush the phone-hacking scandal under the carpet, they have tracked down, raided and cautioned someone who wrote something disobliging about Simon Cowell."

Why on earth not, they already double up as tax collectors with their ANPR Intercept Teams, cameras and so on...